Switch mechanism for trolley-wires.



P. M. ZIMMEBMAN.

SWITCH MEOHANISM FOR TROLLEY WIRES.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 1, 1908.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

Patented July 13, 1909.

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P. M. ZIMMERMAN.

SWITCH MECHANISM FOR TROLLEY WIRES.

APPLICATION FILED IEB.1,1908.

927,917, Patented. July 13,1909.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

" Fag? yfi-in/e/ss e5 Inventor;

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK M. ZIMMERMAN, OF AURORA, ILLINOIS.

SWITCH MECHANISM FOR TROLLEY-WIRES.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK M. ZIMMER- MAN, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing in Aurora, Kane county, Illinois, have invented a newSwitch Mechanism for Trolley- Wires, of which the following is a fulland correct specification of the same, reference being had to thedrawings, forming a part hereof, and in which Figure 1 shows my said newdevice in side elevation together with a fragment of a trolley-wheeljust passing from the main to a branch-wire; Fig. 2 shows a top planview of the same; and Fig. 3 shows the same in bottom lan view butwhereof the suspending lugs are shown partly broken away; Fig. 4 shows atransverse section on the cutting plane 4 4 of Fig. 1 Fig. 5 shows anend elevation, as seen from the two-wire end and up to near the centraltransverse part shown in Fig. 4; Fig. 6 shows my said device as seenfrom the single-wire end; Fig. 7 shows a transverse section of Fig. 1 onthe cutting plane 7 7 of Fig. 1, the parts beyond being omitted Fig. 8shows the two-wire end of the switch-plate with its wire holders.

Like reference letters denote like parts throughout.

The object of my invention is to improve the construction and operationof trolleyswitches, and said improvement consists chiefly in making thedevice of less parts and all switch-blades rigid in their bed or holderand so shaped as to enable a trolley-wheel to take the correct course asto main or branch line in either direction of travel relative to saidswitch; said new construction being much cheaper in its firstconstruction. as well as in its repairs, both as to material and laborin replacing worn parts with new ones, and sundry further advantages aswill be made manifest in the matter following herein. To attain saiddesirable ends I construct my said new device in substantially thefollowing manner, namely; 1 provide a centrally raised bridge or archedmain or body-piece a, having suspending-ears I), also, and preferably,made of malleable iron, provided with rounded channels a, hidden in theside view, but indicated by broken outlines. Said piece a is raised orarched at its center from near its ends in ap iroximately straight linesto said plate to al ow free room for a transverse clamping-plate cl heldby two bolts 6, passing through the large transverse lugs e and formingan integral part of said bridge- Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed February 1, 1908.

Patented July 13, 1909.

Serial No. 413,838.

piece. In the upper surface of said plate are transverse notches c forreceiving and holding the wires j which, said wires, in thisconstruction, are bent and raised upward centrally to the bridge insteadof being laid on the bridge and forced downward at the ends of thebridge. Thereby is also provided room and means for making the bed ofthe switch-blades easily attachable and detachable from said bridge andleaving the wires undisturbed, as well as the bridge ,for all time tocome.

The bed-plate a and its switch-blades form the second main piece of thisdevice which with the clamp d and its two bolts 0 and three small screws6 constitute all the pieces of this device. The said second piece aconsists of a flat plate, or bed-plate a slightly convened downward atits central and under surface, and it is secured, removably, under saidbridge-piece a by means of three screws 6 which pass down through saidmain piece and into said bedplate. To said bed-plate are attached integrally and depending from it the switchblades 9 g 9 and, as hereshown, though not necessarily so constructed, whereof their approachingends over-lap more or less or extend a short distance past the end orends of the oppositely pointing blade or blades, as clearly indicated inFigs. 1 and 3. But if said switch-blade ends do not reach the transverseline of the opposite switch-point it can only be such a short distanceas will be overlapped or be stridden by the trolleywheel itself toinsure its correct course. Besides being tapering in form the ends ofsaid blades alsotaper or round upward, preferably in a more or lesscurved form, andieach of the lateral or branch blades g 9* also round.their inner sides outwardly and at the same time become sharper towardtheir points while the central or main switchblade tapers equally fromboth. sides in about straight lines toward its center line, and all ofsaid parts are of such size and distances apart that the two flanges ofthe trolley-wheel It will easily embrace any two of said three parts,and so as to pass said wheel readily and correctly from any two of saidparts onto the third. switch-blade on going in either direction. Saidlatter point being controlled by means of the track and car which,necessarily, has moved onto the curve of the track almost entirelybefore the trolley-wheel gets to the switch-blades.

At such times, however, the trolley-pole has placed its trolley-wheel atmore or less of an angle to the switch-blades; as indicated by thebroken outlines which show the trolley-wheel in Fig. 3; which, in thiscase, is running from the main onto the branch-wire line whereof thecurve of the track is to the left of the direction in which it is going,as indicated by the arrow-head 7c on central line of direction of saidwheel, the outer or right hand flange of the trolleywheel having bymeans of said. change of its direction been forced inside of the insideor lower and curved side of the outer or upper switch-blade and,thereby, caused the left hand or lower flange of the wheel to pass orride over the point of the lower or inner switch-blade which, at saidcrossing-point,

is lower than at the opposite switch-blade where the outer flange of thewheel is holding the outer edge of the wheel and, whereby, immediately,as said lower flange passes from said switch-blade the transposition ofsaid wheel is completed the rounded edge of the transferring branchswitch rising to receive the advancing trolley-wheel and. the roundededged central blade releasing its hold on the trolley-wheel, all in buta very few inches of motion, the trolley-wheel runs securely on thebranch switch. During said transposition there is perfect electricalcontact on one or the .other or both switches or one switch and the bedof the blades, which are all integral and good electrical conductors andtherefore there is little or no sparking and, consequently,correspondingly little burning out of the metal forming said parts, and,as a natural result, a corresponding economy in the use of this device.Whenever the said second part a namely, the switches and their holder orbed, has to be replaced by a new one it can be done by any intelligentWorkman no other expert knowledge being required than releasing the oldswitch-blade bed from its three screws (2 and inserting said screws intocorrespond- 1 ingly fitting screw-holes in the new replacing-piece.

At each switch-end the wires y', j, j lie in upwardly inclined halfround channels or grooves i which are dug out of the upper edges of theswitch-blades, but, at the branching end of the switch the wires spreadbeyond the width of the blade a and, therefore, the outer edge Z of saidchannels is unsupported and is cut down into a reverse curved edgeterminating at Z beyond which and on to the point of the switch-bladesaid edge becomes a mere line or edge of a surface which gives saidblade a neat appearance.

Owing to the fact that the main wire 3', j, is under considerabletension strain the pressure of the switch-wires is upward and in to thegrooves i formed in each end of the bridge-piece a and the grooves inthe switch blades are merely to make room for the wires and to therebyenable the parts a and a, to approach each other more closely and to useshorter screws c which thus find their places more easily. Saidarrangement also brings the contact-edges of the switch-blades and ofthe wires more nearly into the same plane and, consequently, causing theleast sparking from the trolley-wheel as it passes from the one'of saidparts to the other.

One of the essential elements of this device is that the top piece,which is the bridg e piece, is provided with suspension lugs by mcans'ofwhich, when once placed, this main element of the device remainsundisturbed when switch repairs are made, which is the mechanism underand. attached to it, and which is in direct contact with thetrolleywheel. In this structure the trolley-wires are attached under thebridge and keep their permanent position with it, and theswitchmechanism proper is attached under the wires and held to its placeeither by two or three simple screws or by equivalent mechanism and,thereby, is produced the very great advantage and convenience that asingle man capable of using a screw-driver, can in a few minutes, makethe needed replace ment of worn out switch-mechanism, thus making theshortest interruption of the running schedule of a railroad and,thereby, saving a great deal of time which cannot now be done, owing tothe fact that the method of suspension is more or less directly to theswitch-mechanism itself and which is in the lower plane of the structureand, therefore, requires more time, as well as higher skilled and,therefore, more expensive labor for the same end.

What I claim is:

The combination with an arched bridgepiece provided at its ends withconductor wire-channels, and mechanism at its center to hold conductorsagainst its under side, of replaceable switch-mechanism under said wiresand bridge-piece, said switch-mechanism secured to said bridge-piece.

FRANK M. ZIMMER-h IAN. l/Vitnesses:

WM. ZIMMERMAN, F. A. HOWARD.

